RE Co-Ordinator:  Mrs Williams

 

Religious Education contributes dynamically to children and young people’s education in schools by provoking challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human. In RE children learn about and from religions and world views in local, national and global contexts, to discover, explore and consider different answers to these questions. Teaching should equip pupils with systematic knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and world views, enabling them to develop their ideas, values and identities. It should develop in pupils an aptitude for dialogue so that they can participate positively in our society with its diverse religions and world views. Pupils should gain and deploy the skills needed to understand, interpret and evaluate texts, sources of wisdom and authority and other evidence. They learn to articulate clearly and coherently their personal beliefs, ideas, values and experiences while respecting the right of others to differ.

At Carlton CofE Primary School we follow Identities, meanings, values, The RE Agreed Syllabus, 2018–2023 for Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Luton.

 

Intent

 Intent The principal aim of RE is to explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that pupils can gain the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and belief, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living. Through this subject we seek for children to firstly put their ‘roots down’ by learning about their own beliefs in order that they can not just be tolerant of other faiths and beliefs but to show understanding and respect of these. Building out from the Foundation Stage children expand their circle of understanding, firstly thinking about themselves and their family to understanding what their friends believe and beyond to their community, their country and the world. We want the children to be accepting members of society who celebrate the diversity of our multicultural country. We are ensuring that children are respectful and kind members of society. We encourage the children to think about the beliefs of others and how their actions affect others and our environment. We give children the opportunity to express their learning and beliefs through different mediums. We believe that children should be provided with an education that develops their character. By the end of their time at Carlton CofE Primary, children should:

• Have consideration, respect and understanding for each other, their school and the community that they live in.
• Be questioning and thoughtful, thinking about meaning and purpose in life, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human.
• Be able to weigh up the value of wisdom from different sources and respectfully learn to agree or disagree based on their own knowledge and opinions.
• Celebrate each person’s diversity and uniqueness.
• Have gained a good knowledge of different religions and beliefs that they can link and compare to their own beliefs.

Implementation

We ensure that lesson time and planning meets the statutory and legal requirements for all state-funded schools to teach R.E. At Carlton CofE Primary School we follow Identities, meanings, values, The RE Agreed Syllabus, 2018–2023 for Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Luton.

This scheme has three core elements which we seek to weave together to provide breadth and balance. These are;

• knowledge - making sense of beliefs,
• understanding – examining how and why people put their beliefs into action,
• making connections – evaluating and reflecting to challenge their own thinking and connect ideas with their own lives.

Our lessons are inclusive and we aim to reduce any barriers to participation. We ensure that all children, regardless of their race, gender or background, can access the curriculum and are represented to feel as though they belong and are valued. Lessons are creative and reflective allowing children to work together to learn about religion and belief. Children will consider how different religions, non-religious groups and inspirational people promote environmental issues, caring for the world and sustainability.

Collective worship/assembly time is distinct from curriculum time but links are made in this time with the teaching of R.E and our values curriculum. Collective worship links to the values led teaching through stories from different religions, songs and reflections.

Impact

Following the implementation of the broad and age-appropriate curriculum, children will be respectful, tolerant, thoughtful and understanding members of society within our community and the wider world. Children will have a better understanding of their own beliefs to help them find their place within the world. They will think about how their actions can affect others and celebrate the diversity in our community and the world. Children will think deeply about wisdom from different sources, understanding how this fits with their own belief system and know how to respectfully agree or disagree. They will have a good understanding of different religions including where, how and why they worship. This will enable them to be considerate and understanding members of society